Last month we offered a lecture on Stress and Fatigue which was very well attended and the attendees really enjoyed the information that they learned.

Since many of you were not able to attend I asked the doctor to share with you some of the information she went over at the lecture. If you would like to get further information for yourself personally you can contact the doctor and receive a complimentary initial consultation.

Fatigue is the #1 symptom bringing patients into doctors' offices. Feeling "stressed" is perhaps a close second. However, stress and fatigue is so common that traditional medicine often ignores it or treats it in an offhand fashion.

Patients are frequently told to "get more rest", or "relax", or "take this pill" - often a dangerous anti-depressant.

What is not appreciated is how serious stress and fatigue can be or how relatively easy it is to solve.

The first key is to properly diagnose WHY you feel the way that you do. The root of the problem can be poor sleep, chronic pain, digestive problems or hidden infections, to name a few.

Regardless of its' cause, stress and fatigue can very much hinder your ability to enjoy life and be productive.

A thorough physical exam must, of course, be performed. But perhaps you've already been through a battery of tests with your medical doctor, only to be told that you're fine. In actual fact, what's fine is the results of the tests. If you were truly "fine" you wouldn't be so tired and stressed! The real problem is that your doctor hasn't asked your body the right questions yet.

The facts are that there are some stressors in life which are unavoidable. Bills, deadlines, traffic, family problems are all things which appear in most people's lives. It's our ability to deal with these stressors which spells the difference between optimal health and malfunction.

My experience is that if you are willing to make some changes in your life, your overwhelming stress and fatigue will soon be a thing of the past.

Sometimes the cause is a simple one. Other times it is more complex. But know this, the cause can be found and that is my specialty.

If you would like to know if your adrenals glands are functioning at less than optimum, take the quiz below:

If you answer yes to 3 or more of the following questions, adrenal malfunction is having a negative effect on your health.

Do you suffer from?

1. Fatigue - this is one of the most common symptoms due to lack of adrenaline. Exhaustion may strike a person suddenly in the middle of the day or the person may make it through their workday only to feel completely exhausted when they get home at night.
2. Trouble sleeping - adrenaline imbalance can cause abnormal hormonal production at night resulting in difficulty going to sleep or difficulty staying asleep.
3. Hormonal imbalance - the adrenal gland produces the precursor hormones necessary to make estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Weak adrenal function can result in severe PMS and menopause symptoms as well as other hormone related difficulties such as lack of sex drive.
4. Ligament weakness - joints of the body become irritated easily because ligaments become weak. A person will complain of various joint pains throughout the body such as back pain, neck pain, and arm or leg pain.
5. Sugar cravings - a desire for sugar can occur throughout the day whenever the blood sugar drops. This is an attempt to balance the blood sugar artificially with the use of refined sugar.
6. Low blood sugar - feeling confused, upset, getting headaches or light-headed when a meal is delayed or you get hungry.
7. Difficult waking up - waking up in the morning can become very difficult and many times a person feels they "need" to have a stimulant such as coffee in order to really be alert.
8. Immune system weakness - bacterial, viral and fungal infections can easily occur and poor wound healing may occur.
9. Faint feeling (light-headed) when rapidly standing up.
10. Poor dilation of bronchioles - the bronchioles in the lungs do not dilate efficiently and asthma-like symptoms may results.
11. Allergies - respiratory allergic reactions occur easily and hay fever or sinus symptoms result. Food allergies very commonly occur with adrenal weakness and can result in not only digestive symptoms but also many other often unexplained symptoms.

Did you answer yes to several of the above? So what is the next step?

You need to get your adrenal function evaluated such that you know to what degree that it's malfunctioning. Then we will create a personalized program for you that will normalize your adrenal gland's function and thereby move you toward more optimal health and energy levels.

You can feel good again!

Please feel free to contact Dr Vikki Petersen at HealthNOW Medical Center at 408-733-0400 or DrVikki@healthnowmedical.com.